Brother needs to know he's not alone in the world

Today's recipient of a $100 bill through our Believe Project is Lisa Carpino of Lisle. Here is her story ...

"I'm writing in regard to my brother, Robert.

"Robert started having difficulty breathing in the spring and was very lethargic. Although he was working with doctors to address the problem, his symptoms continued to worsen, to the point that he almost passed out on occasion.

"At one particular doctor's visit, his vitals were so off that they sent him to the emergency room at Edward Hospital. They confirmed that the issue with the vitals seems to be a one-time spike, but they did find a large mass in his neck, which turned out to be attached to his windpipe.

"Unfortunately, this condition caused him to miss a lot of work. Since the diagnosis, he has had the mass surgically removed. However, the procedure stretched his vocal cords, causing him to - at least temporarily - have a low, rough voice.

"Since his work has been in customer service, which requires him to take calls, he lost his job. He has now found employment doing assembly work but is very behind in his bills. He also struggles with depression and ADD.

"This has been very taxing on him in many ways. I am doing the best I can to assist him, but sometimes just covering food with all the other bills is a challenge. Yes, he needs the money; but even more than that, he needs to know he's not in the world alone."